Nasa Artemis Launch and Early Orbital Operation
First: here I am watching reruns of the Artemis launch and on-orbit maneuvers. What a thrill to see NASA back in business with a successful launch of their giant new booster.
Second: A really nice addition to spacecraft watching was provided by NASA. They mounted four “Go-Pro” cameras on the tips of the four deployed solar arrays. This allowed us to look back at the second stage and the payload capsule from nearby vantage points. A live video feed showed us thrusters firing and the vehicle rotating again the cloudy Earth passing slowly by below it. Great view.
Third: I was proud to observe something new as the vehicle was preparing itself for its first, small burn to achieve a higher Earth orbit (the next step in preparation for the major burn that will take it to the moon).
Take a look below.
At the top center of this Go-Pro image is the spent booster flying peacefully along in essentially the same orbit after separating from the payload. A while later, the NASA commentators noticed the booster, too.
Without any more propulsion, the huge Art booster is doomed to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and be destroyed (somewhere East of Hawaii).
Very exciting for me. Fun to share.
